Wisconsin legislator pulls back child support bill

Jan. 14, 2014

Written by

The Associated Press

MADISON — Assembly Republicans on Tuesday canceled a hearing on a bill that would reduce child support payments for wealthy parents when its chief sponsor pulled it back after a newspaper revealed a campaign donor essentially wrote the measure.

The bill would exempt income above $150,000 annually from support calculations and require judges to reduce existing support orders if they exceed the amounts in the bill.

The Wisconsin State Journal newspaper has reported that former Columbus Mayor Michael Eisenga helped Rep. Joel Kleefisch, R-Oconomowoc, draft the language. Eisenga is looking to reduce the $15,000 in child support he pays every month and has donated thousands of dollars to Kleefisch and his wife, Lt. Gov. Rebecca Kleefisch, since 2005.

Kleefisch told the newspaper he didn’t promise Eisenga anything and he planned to eliminate the retroactive clause in the bill. The Assembly Family Law Committee had scheduled a public hearing on the bill for Wednesday morning.

But Kleefisch issued a news release Tuesday that said he had pulled the bill back, saying he was “frustrated by the amount of misinformation the bill has encountered.” The committee dropped the bill from its Wednesday hearing calendar.

“I believe a fair and equitable child support system, one that fundamentally recognizes the value of both parents in the upbringing of a child, is an important issue and one that warrants serious conversation,” Kleefisch said in the statement. “I have worked on this issue for a long time and I am hopeful that those who truly care about healthy family units will join me in the search for an equitable solution.”

Kleefisch didn’t say in the statement if he planned to revise the bill or if the proposal is dead. He responded to a text message from The Associated Press seeking further comment with, “I released a statement.”

Eisenga’s attorney, William Smiley, didn’t immediately return messages Tuesday. Eisenga also didn’t immediately return a message left for him at his company, American Lending Solutions.

Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, R-Rochester, said Eisenga’s involvement in the bill has become a distraction but he didn’t order Kleefisch to withdraw the measure.

He said the bill should have been judged on its merits rather than on who helped draft the proposal. Constituents often suggest legislation and help in drafting, he said. People who support lawmakers’ campaigns have an easier time because they’ve established a rapport, he said.

“That’s just normal,” Vos said.

Minority Democrats blasted the bill as a glaring example of cronyism.

“Not only are the policies contained in this bill questionable, but the process by which portions of this bill were crafted is questionable,” Rep. Chris Taylor, D-Madison, a Democrat on the Family Law Committee, said in a statement. “This process should not be dismissed as ‘business as usual’ in the State Capitol.